Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

Luo Yurou curtsied and bowed, her tone respectful: "This servant will obey your orders and greets Master."

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly and began chanting an incantation, causing the Netherworld Gate to slowly open. She had intended to summon the Black and White Impermanence to guide the departed souls, but unexpectedly, it was the Judge of the Underworld who sensed the movement first.

A dark figure flashed out from the dark cave entrance, the person moving hurriedly, clearly in a hurry. Shen Jingshu looked at the figure with surprise, secretly wondering, why is it not the Black and White Impermanence who appeared this time, but the Judge himself?

Judge Cui stepped out of the Gate of Hell, his gaze sweeping over the three ghosts on the scene before settling on Shen Jingshu. He raised his hand to tidy his wind-blown hair, coughed twice to steady himself, and then bowed respectfully.

"Miss Shen, how have you been?"

"It's been a long time since we last met, Judge. I hope everything has been going well for you lately?" Shen Jingshu returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"All is well." Judge Cui's gaze swept over the disheveled Liu Qiang and his grandson ghosts. "It seems Miss Shen intends to hand these souls over to the underworld for disposal. The Black and White Impermanence are currently tied up with official duties and cannot leave, so I happened to be nearby and came over on my way."

Shen Jingshu looked at Judge Cui with a probing gaze, not entirely believing his story, but she didn't expose him.

"These are the two deeply obsessive and malicious ghosts." Shen Jingshu pointed to Liu Qiang and his grandson, then took out a porcelain bottle. "In addition, there is another imprisoned spirit here. This spirit is trying to possess another body and be reborn. Please take it back to the underworld for a thorough interrogation and sentencing."

Judge Cui immediately agreed.

"There is one more thing. This century-old female ghost, Luo Yurou, has already made an agreement with me, willingly becoming my follower and obeying my commands."

Judge Cui smiled knowingly upon hearing this: "I already know about this matter. It is also the female ghost's good fortune to be able to follow Miss Shen in her cultivation and accumulate merit."

"I'll have to trouble Judge Cui to make this trip in person." Shen Jingshu raised her hand and took out a large number of specially made gold ingots and spirit candles from her spatial storage, silently reciting Judge Cui's name. In an instant, all the burned spirit money fell into the judge's hands.

Upon seeing the offerings in his hands, Judge Cui could not hide his joy, and the corners of his mouth could not be stopped from turning up. He secretly rejoiced that this trip had been worthwhile.

He feigned composure and said, "Miss Shen, you are too kind. Guiding the souls of the dead is simply my duty."

"This is just a small gift, please have some tea and rest, sir."

"Haha, no problem! If Miss Shen has any further needs in the future, please feel free to call me, and I will definitely come here immediately."

Judge Cui carefully collected the ghost money, then led the departing souls through the Gate of Hell. Shen Jingshu watched the disappearing entrance to the Netherworld Cave, with Luo Yurou standing respectfully to one side beside her, providing her with an extra asset for future endeavors.

The moment Judge Cui appeared, the two ghosts of Liu Qiang and his grandson trembled uncontrollably, filled with fear and dared not move.

Luo Yurou was also quite shaken. She had been wandering in the mortal world for hundreds of years, and what she heard most from other ghosts was the reputation of the Black and White Impermanence. She rarely knew the whereabouts of the judges, and never thought that one day she would see the judges of the underworld in person.

Seeing the judge's familiar attitude towards Shen Jingshu, as if the two were old acquaintances, Luo Yurou felt even more fortunate. She secretly sighed, realizing that choosing Shen Jingshu back then was truly an immense stroke of luck in her life.

"Since you have decided to follow me, you shall stay in my personal space and devote yourself to cultivation from now on."

Shen Jingshu raised her hand and waved it lightly. A gentle spiritual force enveloped Luo Yurou and instantly sent her into the space.

The moment Luo Yurou stepped into the space, she felt her surroundings suddenly change. There were all sorts of magical artifacts and talismans on display. These kinds of objects were naturally able to suppress evil spirits, and she instinctively felt a sense of dread and dared not approach them casually. She could only find a quiet corner, sit down cross-legged, and meditate.

After the contract was finalized, Shen Jingshu specially taught Luo Yurou a cultivation technique suitable for Yin spirits. This technique could help her steadily condense Yin energy, accumulate merit and cultivation, dispel her resentment, and accelerate the process of reincarnation. With a path to cultivation and a stable place to live, Luo Yurou was completely at ease and stayed in the space to cultivate and await orders.

The car drove smoothly on the road. Qin Yanting leaned back in the back seat, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the yellow amulet.

At first, he didn't take the gift to heart, only finding it rather strange to accept a talisman on their first meeting.

Out of consideration for his feelings, he couldn't refuse in front of Shen Jingshu. He had already made up his mind, and after getting off the car, he casually threw the talisman into the trash can, not intending to use it at all.

Driver Lao Wang was driving back home. He had traveled this road to the Qin family mansion countless times and knew it by heart. But today, as he drove on, he couldn't see the outline of the manor in his sight.

Old Wang gradually began to have doubts. The car maintained a steady speed and never stopped, yet the journey seemed to have no end.

Qin Yanting, sitting in the back seat, noticed something was wrong. He looked down at his watch and realized that a journey that usually took ten minutes had now taken half an hour, and they were still stuck on the road.

"What happened?" Qin Yanting asked.

Old Wang looked worried: "Young master, I can't explain the situation either. I've walked this road for many years and have never encountered anything like this before."

Another half hour passed, and the two of them finally realized their situation. The car kept going around in circles, and the scenery in front of them had appeared repeatedly several times.

"parking."

The driver immediately slammed on the brakes and had just opened the car door to check the situation when a thick fog suddenly billowed up around them. The white fog rapidly enveloped the entire vehicle, reducing visibility to only one or two meters, making the surroundings dark and oppressive.

Old Wang remained motionless for a long time after getting out of the car, and no matter how much Qin Yanting called out to him, he received no response. A chill ran through Qin Yanting's heart, and he finally realized that he had probably encountered an evil spirit and was trapped in a ghostly maze.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the look Shen Jingshu had given him at the end of the party; it seemed as if she had already foreseen the crisis. He hurriedly rummaged through the back seat and clutched the amulet he had set aside in his hand.

Qin Yanting pushed open the car door and stepped into the thick fog, calling out the driver's name, but all around was deathly silent, without any response. Fear continued to spread, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the talisman.

Just then, a scalding warmth suddenly came from his palm, and the burning sensation spread along his skin. The force was so strong that he almost dropped the talisman.

Qin Yanting gritted his teeth and persevered. His intuition told him that this small talisman was the only hope for escaping tonight.

The scorching heat subsided slowly after a moment, and the previously thick and stagnant fog suddenly began to surge and churn. The fog that enveloped the surroundings receded at a visible speed, and the blurred vision gradually became clear.

The recurring illusion shattered abruptly, revealing a familiar road and the outline of the Qin family mansion in the distance.

Not far away, driver Lao Wang, who had been standing blankly by the roadside, also regained his senses and looked around in a daze, completely unaware of the danger he had just experienced.

Qin Yanting looked down at the still intact amulet in his hand, his heart filled with shock. Only now did he truly understand that Shen Jingshu's gift of the amulet was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a deliberate act of assistance.